Locals stop burial of 86-year-old COVID-19 victim in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: An 86-year-old COVID-19 victim’s burial ran into trouble in Bengaluru on Thursday, July 16 as locals protested against it over the fear of the spread of infection, forcing the family to lay him to rest at another site in the city, police said.

The man had died in a hospital at Hebbal on Sunday and his samples later tested positive for the virus. The funeral was planned at MS Palya cemetery in Bengaluru on Thursday, police said.

Residents of the locality gathered near the burial site and refused to allow the vehicle carrying the body to proceed to the cemetery, following which the plan was abandoned and the remains were taken to another graveyard on Hosur road.

“On Thursday, the family planned for the funeral but protests broke out at MS Palya cemetery,” a police official told PTI.

Mercy Mission, an NGO that ensures the dignified burial of coronavirus victims, was engaged by the man’s family.

“We picked up the body from the hospital at Hebbal this morning and brought it to the MS Palya cemetery but about 60 people blocked the road,” Mohammed Ismail, a volunteer of the NGO told the PTI.

“Owing to continued protests, the body was taken to another cemetery on Hosur road and the last rites were performed,” he said.

Recently, the state government had announced earmarking of land on the city outskirts exclusively for burial or cremation of COVID-19 victims, in view of safety concerns expressed by the residents.